Automatic sash-lock



J. a. HORTON.-

AUTOMATIC SASH Lock. Arrucmon FILED uuzl. m1.

1,341,234. wd y 25, 1920.

(1 art on.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH B. HORTON, 0F TENNILLE, GEORGIA.

AUTOMATIC SASH-LOCK.

Application filed May 21, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, J osnrn B. Hon'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing t Tennille, in the county of WVashington, State of Georgia, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Automatic Sash-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to mid-rail sash locks, and has for its primary object to provide a device of this character which is simple in construction and operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which will be automatically moved to the locking position when the meeting rails of the window sash to which the device is applied come together.

Preferably the invention includes a looking lever so shaped at its pivoted end that it is held by gravity in its upright or inactive position but when turned to its working position the weight of said end is overbalanced.

Also by preference the invention includes a trigger mounted on the same pivot as the lever, with shoulders on the trigger and lever disposed so as to allow some lost motion between these elements whereb the raising of the lever starts the lower sash upward by means of the trigger and the closing of the sashes causes the tri ger to start the lever downwardly so that it falls to closed or active position by its own weight.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1, is a perspective view of the meeting sash rails of a window with the device in place in its closed position,

Fig. 2, is a sectional view showing the meeting rails separated and the device in its opened position,

Fig. 3, is a vertical sectional view taken through the device.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the locking lever partly broken away.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the locking lever, viewed from the under side.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the trigger.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 11 designates the upper sash and 10 the lower sash, and to the top rail 12 of the latter is secured a base plate 13 from which rises a keeper 14 having at its top an up- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed May 25, 1920.

Serial No. 169,953.

standing lip 15 and at its rear or outer side a downwardly facing jaw 16, the body of the keeper and the base plate preferably be ing cut out or grooved beneath said jaw as shown at 17 in Fig. 3.

Secured upon the lower rail 20 of the upper sash opposite the base plate 13 is another plate 21 from which rise two spaced ears 22, and pivotally mounted between them on a pin 23 is a lever 24 cut out on its under side at 25 to produce a book 26 facing toward the pivot. This lever is formed at its pivoted end with a pair of spaced knuckles 30 through which the pivot pin 23 passes eccentrically so that the weight of the knuckles will maintain the lever in up right position as seen in Fig. 2 but will be overbalanced by the lever when turned to horizontal or active position as seen in Fig. 1.

Mounted on the same pivot pin between the knuckles is a single knuckle 27 forming the major portion of a trigger, the latter including a finger 31 projecting forward a suflicient distance to be engaged by the jaw 16 as shown in Fig. 3. On the rear of the trigger it is provided with a shoulder 32 adapted to cooperate with a shoulder 33 formed as a part of the lever between its knuckles, and the position of these shoulders is such that there is some lost motion between the lever and trigger.

In the use of this device, let us assume that the windows are open as seen in Fig. 2 and the lever stands upright and is sustained in this position by the weight of its knuckles in rear of the pivot 23. WVhen now the rail 12 of the lower sash descends, the jaw 16 strikes the finger 31 of the trigger, and the shoulder 32 thereof which at this time contacts with the shoulder 33 of the lever throws the latter forward. Just as the window closes and the rail 12 comes opposite the rail 20, the lever 24 falls over the keeper 14: and its hook 26 over the lip 15, between which there is a little looseness as seen in Fig. 3. Nownvhen an attempt is made to raise the lower sash or lower the upper sash, it is resisted by the engagement of the hook with the lip, and therefore the sashes are locked.

When it is desired to unlock the sashes it is only necessary to raise the lever from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 to that shown in Fig. 2. This of course lifts the hook out of engagement with the lip, and as the lever turns on the pivot pin 23 its sl1oulder 33 moves downward into contact with the shoulder 32.

The parts are so disposed that in the final movement of the lever to its upright position, the engagement of said shoulders causes a slight turning of the trigger on its pivot, with the result that the finger 31 which is ,in contact with the jaw 16 raises the keeper slightly, and thus starts the lower sash upward. This is quite a desirable feature of the invention, because the sash may stick a little as it often does when it has. remained closed for a considerable time.

Having thus described the invention, what 1s claimed, is:

In a sash lock, the combination with a keeper adapted to be secured on the upper rail of the lower sash; of a casing adapted to be secured on'the lower rail of the upper sash, a lever having a hook for engaging said keeper when the lever is depressed, a

trigger having a finger engaged by said keeper when the sashes are closed, said lever having spaced knuckles and said trigger a single knuckle between the spaced knuckles, all mounted on a common pivot within the casing, and a downwardly facing shoulder connecting the lever knuckles and an upwardly facing shoulder on the trigger knuckle, said shoulders being so disposed as to start the lever downward by the depression of the finger as the sashes close and permit it to fall into engagement with the keeper.

In testimony whereof I afiix my sigl'lature 1n the presence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH B. HORTON.

Witnesses:

J. H. ARNOLD, H. C. GILBERT. 

